"The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John Dee" (ed. Geoffrey James) is the
definitive and most complete edition of Dee's magical notebooks ever
to be published. It contains a complete system of Renaissance Magic,
encompassing Planetary spirits, Zodiacial spirits, and the spirits of
the Four Quarters as well as Dee's famous 48 Angelic Keys
transliterated exactly as they appear in Dee's manuscripts, with
accents on the Enochian vowels, and with the English in the original
Elizabethan. The book includes all of Dee's major magical writings,
his private grimoires, with an introduction and appendices which
supply background and give suggestions in the practice of Enochian
Evocation.
The following exerpt is from Appendix A -- "The Practice of Enochian
Evocation":
There are no descriptions in Dee's extant diaries of actual
Enochian evocation rituals, a fact that has led some scholars to
conclude that he never attempted the magic. The existence, however,
of artifacts such as the wax sigils of Aemeth in the British museum
indicate that Dee, at the very least, constructed some of the
requisite furniture. In addition, Dee compiled Sloane MSS 3191 (the
primary source for this book) to be a working collection of
conjurations for use in magical ceremonies. Although it is possible
that Dee never went through with the experiments, it is far more
likely that he recorded the events in a separate diary that has not
survived. Dee was a rabid diarist, and kept at least three
concurrent diaries during the period that he was working with Kelly,
each diary covering a different aspect of his life. It would be well
in character for Dee to initiate a special diary for the practice of
the "radical truths" that he had sought for so many years.
There are many clues that assist in uncovering of the operative
portions of this arcane branch of magical lore. Sloane MSS 3191, for
example, delineates the portions of Enochian evocation that Dee
thought were most essential. Other clues are scattered throughout
the surviving diaries. Dee describes many scyring sessions, and it
is unlikely that the Enochian rituals differed very greatly from
those he practiced with his scryers. In addition, many passages from
the scrying sessions contain hints and instructions concerning
Enochian evocation. Another valuable source of information is the
body of magical literature that was available to Dee and Kelly. The
effect of Agrippa, for example, upon Dee's philosophical outlook is
obvious, and many aspect of Enochian evocation are dependent upon the
worldview of the renaissance Magi. Also, Kelly's involvement in black
magic indicates influence from other magical texts. When all these
sources of information are gathered together, a coherent picture
emerges of the practice of Enochian evocation.
Enochian rituals were practiced by two people, a Magus and a Scryer.
The Magus chanted the conjurations, compelling the Angels (by the
power of the names of God) to appear within the crystal stone. The
Scyrer gazed into the crystal and related his visions. The Magus
doubled as scribe, recording the visions and the results of the
ceremony.
Both Scryer and Magus were expected to lead holy lives (at least
while practicing the magic), to cultivate piety and humility, and to
abstain from the practice of black magic. During the ceremonies,
both were dressed in white linen robes, and the magus wore a magical
ring with a gold seal (as shown in Book Two, Chapter Two). Other
renaissance magical texts recommend that the Magus wear a crown and
carry a magical wand and/or sword, but none of these are mentioned in
Dee's work.
Before practicing Enochian evocation, the Magus and Scryer located
and/or constructed the following items:
1. A crystal ball. This was handled only by the magus or the
scryer. Dee's was rather small, about two inches in diameter.
2. A circular wax tablet, 9 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches
thick, inscribed on the front with the Sigil of Aemeth and on the
back with a cross. These designs are shown in Book Two. The center
of the front was hollowed out slightly, so that the crystal ball
could easily be placed on top of the Sigil.
3. Four wax tablets, about 4 inches in diameter, similarly
inscribed.
4. A red silk "rug", two yards square.
5. A red silk tablecloth, about 1.5 yards square, with tassles at
each corner.
6. A table constructed of "sweet wood" (cedar?) a yard (two cubits)
square, with yard-long legs. Each leg terminated with a hollow
cylinder, slightly more than 4 inches on the inside diameter and
about .5 inches thick. The basic structure of this table is shown in
Book Two; because of its low profile, two wooden stools were probably
also necessary. A set of elaborate sigils were to be painted in
yellow oils on the top surface of the table. The arrangement of these
sigils is too complex to be reproduced in this volume, but can be
found in The True Relation, between the Preface and the first book,
on the page labeled "The Holy Table".
7. Twelve banners or flags each embroidered with a name of God as
as shown in Book Five, Chapter Three.
This furniture was arranged into a temple where Enochian evocation
could be practiced. This may have been intended to be in the open
air rather than within a building, as there are no descriptions of
candles or torches. Furthermore, the magical circle specifies
"Terra" (Earth), which may or may not have been intended
symbolically.
The temple was constructed in the following manner:
1. The place of working was enclosed by a circle as shown in Book
Five, Chapter Three. The banners were propped at the circle's edge.
2. The red silk rug was laid in the center of the circle.
3. The four small wax tablets were arranged in a square pattern in
the center of the silk rug, 1 yard square.
4. The table was balanced upon the wax tablets, so that the hollow
cylinders at the end of the table legs overlapped them.
5. The large wax tablet was placed on the center of the table.
6. The silk tablecloth was draped over the table, covering the
large wax tablet, so that the tassles dangled almost to the floor.
7. The crystal was laid on top of the tablecloth, balanced on the
indentation in the wax tablet.
The Magus was required to have a book in which prayers and
conjurations were recorded for use within the temple. For the
complete practice of Enochian evocation, it probably would have had
the following contents:
PART ONE: PRAYERS
The Oration to God -- as shown in Book Two, Chapter Five.
The Prayer of Enoch -- as shown in Book One, Chapter Two.
The Fundemental Obesance -- as shown in Book Five, Chapter Four.
PART TWO: CONJURATIONS
The Heptarchic Conjurations -- formed by inserting the specific
attributes of the each King and Prince (as shown in Book Two, Chapter
Seven) with the generalized conjuration (as shown in Book Two,
Chapter Six).
The Angelical Keys -- as shown in Book Three. These were to be
written in both Angelical and English. Note that the last key was to
be repeated 30 times, with the third word altered to indicate the
Aire being worked. In Sloane MSS 3191, the various Aires are listed
in the margin. The individual names of the Aires are given in Book
Four, Column Four.
The Invitations to the Angels of the Quarters -- as shown in Book
Five, Chapters Five through Thirteen.
The ordering of Dee's workbooks suggests that he intended a certain
cross-semination of the earlier (Heptarchic) and later (Angelical)
systems. In any case, the magical book is described in Dee's diaries
as consisting "first of the invocation of the names of God and second
of the invocation of the Angels, by the names of God" -- an ordering
is preserved in the contents above.
Note that, unlike other renaissance magical systems, Enochian
evocation does not include a "Dismissal" or "License to Depart", a
conjuration designed to send a spirit back to its dwelling place.
Dee evidently felt this to be unneccessary, although most renaissance
Magi would have considered this omission dangerous.
Enochian evocation was believed to summon three interrelated
hierarchies of angels:
1. The Heptarchical Royalty -- who were believed to govern "all
earthly actions", and "disperse of the will of the Creator". One
conjured them to obtain "knowledge of God truly, the number and
doings of His Angels perfectly, and the beginning and ending of
Nature substantially". These angels were based upon the 7 planets
and the 7 days of the week.
2. The Angels of the Aires -- who were believed to rule over the
various countries of the earth. One conjured them to "subvert whole
countries without armies", to "get the favor of all the (human)
Princes", and to "know the secret treasure of the waters, and the
unknown caves of the earth". These angels were based on the 12
houses of the Zodiac and the 30 Aires, which were evidently
subdivisions of the "vault of stars" in which the "fixed stars" were
believed to reside.
3. The Angels of the Quarters -- who were believed to have been
"put onto the earth so that the Devil's envious will might be
bridled, the determinations of God fulfilled, and his creatures kept
and preserved". One conjured them to obtain a variety of semi-divine
powers and capabilities. These Angels were based upon the 4 Elements
and the 4 compass points.
Thus Enochian evocation consisted of a complete panoply of magical
art, covering planetary, zodiacal, and elemental operations, and
reputed to control hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed Angelic
creatures. Because of the complexity of these Angelic hierarchies, I
shall discuss each in detail...
(The appendix continues, giving specific details of the angelic
hierarchies, probable reconstructions of Enochian talismans, a
variation of Enochian script never before published, and the ordering
of the days for the practice of Enochian evocation magic.)
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"The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John Dee is available from:
Heptangle Books
P.O. Box 283
Berkeley Heights, NJ,
07922 0283
The cost is $40.00 The book is hardbound, 205 pages, printed
letterpress on acid-free paper. The estimated shelf life of the
paper and binding is 400+ years.